I have a Lund wc 14 with a 9.9h.p. 4 stroke honda. We troll a lot for rainbows and lakers. I know that the 4 strokes don't troll as slowly as the 2 strokes. My question is, do you guys think that a 15h.p. honda 4 stroke will troll as slowly as my 9.9? When we are all in the boat the 9.9 plows a bit and I think the 15 would probably plane us out a bit better. My biggest concern however is the trolling speed issue. I don't want to go any faster than the 9.9 currently trolls. The planing thing only happens when we are all in the boat (2 kids/ 2 adults). If you don't think that there will be a big difference between the 9.9 and the 15 let me know that to. I'm Sure that I can find something else to spend the money on. New fish finder, reels, rods. trolling motor and the list goes on.
Thanks
High Noon
9.9h.p. versus 15h.p.
A potentially cheaper solution is to try another propeller on the 9.9.
Your outboard needs to run at the upper end of its recommended rpm range in order to obtain peak performance. You’ll require a tachometer to establish whether or not your outboard’s rpms are in the right range. If you are the only one in the boat most of the time, you should select a prop that delivers peak performance for that situation as your primary prop. However, whenever you load up the boat with the wife and kids too, change to another prop that has 2" of pitch lower than your normal prop. The change in prop pitch could compensate for added weight and drag and make a huge improvement on performance in these circumstances. Just one caveat. You must still ensure that your outboard’s rpms are still within the range established by the manufacturer.
The only way to ascertain whether a change in prop pitch would rectify your planeing problem is trail and error. However, if it does, it’s a cheaper solution than trading outboards.
Your outboard needs to run at the upper end of its recommended rpm range in order to obtain peak performance. You’ll require a tachometer to establish whether or not your outboard’s rpms are in the right range. If you are the only one in the boat most of the time, you should select a prop that delivers peak performance for that situation as your primary prop. However, whenever you load up the boat with the wife and kids too, change to another prop that has 2" of pitch lower than your normal prop. The change in prop pitch could compensate for added weight and drag and make a huge improvement on performance in these circumstances. Just one caveat. You must still ensure that your outboard’s rpms are still within the range established by the manufacturer.
The only way to ascertain whether a change in prop pitch would rectify your planeing problem is trail and error. However, if it does, it’s a cheaper solution than trading outboards.
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swampbuster
- Participant
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- Joined: Fri Jul 29, 2005 6:23 pm
- Location: Battersea
Hi Hi Noon 
I feel your pain I use to run a 14 lund with a 9.9 honda, it only had any pep with one(small) person in the boat,it can be frustrating.Also I had the fast trolling problem.As Tomcat says try some differant props it really make a differance.I changed to a 15 but went 2-stroke , it turned the lund into a hotrod but I lost the quiet /gas stingy /good stuff.I have a 9.9 johnson 4-stroke kicker on my boat now and it took three props before I found the right one I sould have went with a 15. Johnson 4-strokes have no more power than the Hondas.Also you will have to licence your boat if you upgrade to 15.
Russ
I feel your pain I use to run a 14 lund with a 9.9 honda, it only had any pep with one(small) person in the boat,it can be frustrating.Also I had the fast trolling problem.As Tomcat says try some differant props it really make a differance.I changed to a 15 but went 2-stroke , it turned the lund into a hotrod but I lost the quiet /gas stingy /good stuff.I have a 9.9 johnson 4-stroke kicker on my boat now and it took three props before I found the right one I sould have went with a 15. Johnson 4-strokes have no more power than the Hondas.Also you will have to licence your boat if you upgrade to 15.
Russ